A long line of customers waiting to pick up their limited edition beer at the "NorâÄôYeaster" limited edition beer release event at Two Roads Brewing Company, Stratford CT on Saturday, April, 19th, 2014. The brewery was releasing a limited supply of three different beers, Two Roads Krazy Pucker, HenryâÄôs Farm Double Bock Lager Aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels and Urban Funk Wild Ale. less

A long line of customers waiting to pick up their limited edition beer at the "NorâÄôYeaster" limited edition beer release event at Two Roads Brewing Company, Stratford CT on Saturday, April, 19th, 2014. The ... more

Two Roads Brewing Company executives Brad Hittle and Peter Doering (center and right) talk to George Wyper (left) at the "NorâÄôYeaster" limited edition beer release event at Two Roads Brewing Company, Stratford CT on Saturday, April, 19th, 2014. The brewery was releasing a limited supply of three different beers, Two Roads Krazy Pucker, HenryâÄôs Farm Double Bock Lager Aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels and Urban Funk Wild Ale. less

Two Roads Brewing Company executives Brad Hittle and Peter Doering (center and right) talk to George Wyper (left) at the "NorâÄôYeaster" limited edition beer release event at Two Roads Brewing Company, ... more

Photo: Mark Conrad

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Two Roads Brewing Company employees Kristen Malski, and Matt Green hand out bags of limited edition beer to customers at the "NorâÄôYeaster" limited edition beer release event at Two Roads Brewing Company, Stratford CT on Saturday, April, 19th, 2014. The brewery was releasing a limited supply of three different beers, Two Roads Krazy Pucker, HenryâÄôs Farm Double Bock Lager Aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels and Urban Funk Wild Ale. less

Two Roads Brewing Company employees Kristen Malski, and Matt Green hand out bags of limited edition beer to customers at the "NorâÄôYeaster" limited edition beer release event at Two Roads Brewing Company, ... more

Photo: Mark Conrad

Image 8 of 25

The back or an old Volkswagon bus at Two Roads Brewing Company, at the "NorâÄôYeaster" limited edition beer release event at Two Roads Brewing Company, Stratford CT on Saturday, April, 19th, 2014. The brewery was releasing a limited supply of three different beers, Two Roads Krazy Pucker, HenryâÄôs Farm Double Bock Lager Aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels and Urban Funk Wild Ale. less

The back or an old Volkswagon bus at Two Roads Brewing Company, at the "NorâÄôYeaster" limited edition beer release event at Two Roads Brewing Company, Stratford CT on Saturday, April, 19th, 2014. The ... more

Customers pick up their limited edition beer at the "NorâÄôYeaster" limited edition beer release event at Two Roads Brewing Company, Stratford CT on Saturday, April, 19th, 2014. The brewery was releasing a ... more

Customers picking up their limited edition beer at the "NorâÄôYeaster" limited edition beer release event at Two Roads Brewing Company, Stratford CT on Saturday, April, 19th, 2014. The brewery was releasing ... more

Photo: Mark Conrad

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Bob Klein of Stratford, CT is the first person in line to pick up the limited edition beer at the "NorâÄôYeaster" limited edition beer release event at Two Roads Brewing Company, Stratford CT on Saturday, April, 19th, 2014. The brewery was releasing a limited supply of three different beers, Two Roads Krazy Pucker, HenryâÄôs Farm Double Bock Lager Aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels and Urban Funk Wild Ale. less

Bob Klein of Stratford, CT is the first person in line to pick up the limited edition beer at the "NorâÄôYeaster" limited edition beer release event at Two Roads Brewing Company, Stratford CT on Saturday, ... more

Two Roads Brewing Company employee Kristen Malski handing out bags of limited edition beer to customers at the "NorâÄôYeaster" limited edition beer release event at Two Roads Brewing Company, Stratford CT on ... more

Photo: Mark Conrad

Image 14 of 25

Two Roads Brewing Company executive Brad Hittle (right) talks to a couple of customers at the "NorâÄôYeaster" limited edition beer release event at Two Roads Brewing Company, Stratford CT on Saturday, April, 19th, 2014. The brewery was releasing a limited supply of three different beers, Two Roads Krazy Pucker, HenryâÄôs Farm Double Bock Lager Aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels and Urban Funk Wild Ale. less

Two Roads Brewing Company executive Brad Hittle (right) talks to a couple of customers at the "NorâÄôYeaster" limited edition beer release event at Two Roads Brewing Company, Stratford CT on Saturday, April, ... more

"NorâÄôYeaster" a limited edition beer release event at Two Roads Brewing Company, Stratford CT on Saturday, April, 19th, 2014. The brewery was releasing a limited supply of three different beers, Two Roads ... more

"NorâÄôYeaster" a limited edition beer release event at Two Roads Brewing Company, Stratford CT on Saturday, April, 19th, 2014. The brewery was releasing a limited supply of three different beers, Two Roads ... more

John Abercrombie, left, New England market manager for Founders Brewing Company, clinks glasses with Bob Surgent, center, and Brett Steenbarger before tasting the Kentucky Bourbon Stout during a tap takeover event at Cask Republic in Stamford, Conn., on Wednesday, April 23, 2014. The term tap takeover is used when a bar serves several beers from the same brewery. less

John Abercrombie, left, New England market manager for Founders Brewing Company, clinks glasses with Bob Surgent, center, and Brett Steenbarger before tasting the Kentucky Bourbon Stout during a tap takeover ... more

Beverage manager James Mahoney starts pouring glasses of the Kentucky Bourbon Stout during a tap takeover event at Cask Republic in Stamford, Conn., on Wednesday, April 23, 2014. The term tap takeover is used when a bar serves several beers from the same brewery. less

Beverage manager James Mahoney starts pouring glasses of the Kentucky Bourbon Stout during a tap takeover event at Cask Republic in Stamford, Conn., on Wednesday, April 23, 2014. The term tap takeover is used ... more

Beverage manager James Mahoney delivers glasses of the Kentucky Bourbon Stout to waiting customers during a tap takeover event at Cask Republic in Stamford, Conn., on Wednesday, April 23, 2014. The term tap takeover is used when a bar serves several beers from the same brewery. less

Beverage manager James Mahoney delivers glasses of the Kentucky Bourbon Stout to waiting customers during a tap takeover event at Cask Republic in Stamford, Conn., on Wednesday, April 23, 2014. The term tap ... more

Waitress Kelly Mayo runs glasses of Kentucky Bourbon Stout to awaiting customers during a tap takeover event at Cask Republic in Stamford, Conn., on Wednesday, April 23, 2014. The term tap takeover is used when a bar serves several beers from the same brewery.

Waitress Kelly Mayo runs glasses of Kentucky Bourbon Stout to awaiting customers during a tap takeover event at Cask Republic in Stamford, Conn., on Wednesday, April 23, 2014. The term tap takeover is used when

Taps from the Founders Brewing Company take up an area behind the counter during a tap takeover event at Cask Republic in Stamford, Conn., on Wednesday, April 23, 2014. The term tap takeover is used when a bar serves several beers from the same brewery. less

Taps from the Founders Brewing Company take up an area behind the counter during a tap takeover event at Cask Republic in Stamford, Conn., on Wednesday, April 23, 2014. The term tap takeover is used when a bar ... more

Bob Surgent chats with a friend over a glass of Kentucky Bourbon Stout during a tap takeover event at Cask Republic in Stamford, Conn., on Wednesday, April 23, 2014. The term tap takeover is used when a bar serves several beers from the same brewery.

Bob Surgent chats with a friend over a glass of Kentucky Bourbon Stout during a tap takeover event at Cask Republic in Stamford, Conn., on Wednesday, April 23, 2014. The term tap takeover is used when a bar

But it wasn't a celebrity they were dying to see -- unless you count brewmaster Phil Markowski.

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They were there for the beer.

"I love sour beer, and any opportunity to find rare ones is special," Jake Lynch, of Brooklyn, N.Y., said as he emerged from Two Roads' brew house with a dozen bottles of three limited-release beers: Krazy Pucker, a sour wheat ale; Urban Funk Wild Ale, an ale brewed with wild yeast strains; and Henry's Farm, a double bock lager aged in rye whiskey barrels.

Added Lynch: "To wait on line, you have to be a bit of a nerd."

A nerd, perhaps, but Lynch is hardly alone: Beer enthusiasts across Connecticut are staking out breweries, beer bars and bottle shops for what the craft beer community refers to as "white whales." They may only be brewed in small quantities, or made using special ingredients. They may be widely available in their home market, but virtually unobtainable anywhere else.

Whatever the case, rare and limited beers stir cult-like followings -- people driven by the hype around a particular brew, loyalty to a particular brewery or the hunt for what may be considered, at any given moment, the holy grail of craft beer.

"It's a great feeling," said Markowski, a longtime brewer who is known for his sour ales. "To see how far people go to get these beers shows you how far craft beer has come."

The popularity of rare and limited-releases flows from a wave of nationwide popularity for craft beer in general. The Brewer's Association, a trade group, reports that craft brewers sold an estimated 15.6 million barrels of beer in 2013, up from 13.2 million in 2012.

But enjoying craft beer is one thing. Seeking out the rare and limited ones tends to be more of an obsession.

"It's like, what would you do for a Klondike Bar?" Zalika Guillory, Lynch's girlfriend and a fellow beer enthusiast, said.

"In other words, how far would you drive?" Lynch added.

The self-described "beer geeks" traveled 1.5 hours to Stratford's Two Roads Brewery, waiting on line for two hours and shelling out $120 (at $10 each) for a dozen beers. The brewery, Connecticut's largest, only released 690 bottles of each of the three styles. (They have since sold out.)

But that's nothing. Guillory said some beer fans spend hours researching, buying and bartering for brews in online marketplaces. Some even camp out overnight waiting for a beer to hit the shelves.

"We wouldn't go that far," she said. "But we really like Two Roads. For us, it's about loyalty, and the fact these beers are in such short supply."

It's for that same reason that Bob Surgent, of Stamford, and Brett Steenbarger, of New Canaan, high-tailed it to Cask Republic on a Wednesday evening after work last month. Stamford's newest craft beer bar was releasing a quarter keg (about 165 12-ounce pours) of the much-coveted Founders Brewery Kentucky Breakfast Stout. The beer -- an imperial stout brewed with coffee and vanilla and aged in oak bourbon barrels for over a year -- "is one of those rare micros that when it comes out, everyone wants to try it," Steenbarger said.

Surgent and Steenbarger had been waiting for about an hour when, at 6 p.m., Cask Republic's beverage director, James Mahoney, began pouring the viscous, coffee-colored liquid into 12-ounce wine glasses. Surgent took a sip.

"This is the one? You have to be kidding me!" Surgent gushed, taking the glass from his lips. "This was worth the wait. This is the best beer I've ever had."

He added: "I'm going to take my time with this one. To chug this would be a sin."

The even bigger sin, latecomers realized, was to miss the beer entirely. The keg was kicked in less than an hour.

"The last time we got KBS, people were calling, asking if they could pre-order bottles," Mahoney said. "But they were gone as soon as we got them."

And that is the bittersweet reality of a hobby predicated on the acquisition of a consumable substance -- simply put, the beer won't last forever. Which is why many beer-vangelists save their bottles for a special occasion, practicing a degree of self-control that nonbelievers may fail to appreciate.

Asked what they're going to do with their Two Roads beers, Lynch and Guillory said they're leaving them in the bottles.